In a typical heating system, water is circulated by a pump through several radiators, possibly a heat exchanger in a hot water cylinder, and a boiler. During circulation, solid particles (for example, iron oxide) which have come loose from the interior of the radiators and pipework can become suspended in the water. Solid particles can also be present as contaminants in the water originally supplied to the system, and the water can become contaminated by dirt where an open expansion tank forms part of the system. These solid particles can cause malfunction if they build up in the boiler or pump, and reduce the effectiveness of the heating system by restricting the flow of water and clogging radiators. The water in a heating system should therefore be continually cleaned to remove solid particles as far as possible.
Various devices are known for removing particles from suspension in a flow of water. Typically these devices include a magnet for attracting ferrous particles, and may also include mechanical separation means for removing nonmagnetic particles. Nonmagnetic particles may be removed by causing a portion of the water to flow through a separation chamber, within which obstruction means are disposed to slow the flow. Particles will then fall out of suspension and become trapped in cavities, which can easily be cleaned during an annual service. Only a portion of the flow is slowed, so that the overall flow rate in the heating circuit is not significantly reduced. A device of this type is disclosed in the applicant's co-pending applications GB2486173 and GB2486172.
These prior devices typically consist of a cylindrical housing, a magnet disposed within the housing along its longitudinal axis, and a mechanical separation chamber disposed at a lower end of the housing. An inlet and an outlet are provided on a side wall of the housing, typically one above the other. The inlet and outlet are configured to set up a swirl of water within the housing and are tangential or substantially tangential to the housing.
The magnet is typically sleeved so that magnetic particles do not stick directly to the magnet, but to the sleeve around the magnet. The magnet may be removed from the sleeve when the device is cleaned and the particles will simply fall away. However, providing a sleeve around the magnet does reduce the magnetic field strength, and therefore the effectiveness of the filter. The sleeve should therefore be as thin as possible. Due to manufacturing limitations, the thickness of the sleeve is typically great enough to substantially attenuate the magnetic field.
Due to the very tight space within which a device may need to be installed, particularly if it is being retrofitted to an existing installation, the tangential inlet and outlet may impose an unwelcome constraint upon the installer. In some cases it may simply not be possible to fit a device of suitable capacity with tangential or substantially tangential inlets. A separator also has to be oriented in a particular way for it to operate as intended and usually this is with the cylindrical housing extending substantially vertically, so that non-magnetic debris separated from the flow can drop to a collection area at the bottom of the separator. If it is installed in an incorrect orientation, the error may not be immediately obvious and may not be noticed until a service. During this time, the effectiveness of the separation device will be substantially reduced, and it may be completely ineffective.
Separation devices are typically fitted to either the flow or return pipe of the heating circuit. Two cuts must be made in the pipe at a set distance apart, and right angle connectors are then fitted to the open ends. If two separate right angle connectors are used, then the installer must be careful to ensure that the extent to which they are fitted to the open ends of the pipe is such that the vertical distance between the perpendicular sections of the right angle connectors is exactly correct to fit the separation device. Any error is time-consuming to correct because a section of the flow or return pipe may need to be cut out and replaced.
It is an object of this invention to provide a separator device which reduces or substantially obviates the above mentioned problems.